Frank Anthony Ley (1831 - 1885)

Born 18 Sep 1831 in Germany

Died 14 Jul 1885 at age 53 in Redding, Shasta, California, United States

Biography

Frank was born in Germany about 1831, the son of Lorenz and Mary Ley. (Note that his headstone gives a birth date of September 18, 1825.) He was living in Cambridge, Massachusetts, by 1858, when he married Mary Eliza Tyler, daughter of William and Catherine Tyler. It was a 2nd marriage for him.^[1] They had two sons - Louis, b. 1859, and William, who was born prematurely and lived for only one day in 1864.

Frank was a 28 year old piano maker and resident of Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1861, when he enlisted to serve in the Civil War. He mustered in as a private in Company E of the 13th Mass. Infantry, on July 16, 1861. He served a 3 year term and mustered out on August 1, 1864. He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy, on December 19, 1864. He was described at the time as a druggist and resident of Springfield, Massachusetts; he was 33 years old, with black hair, dark eyes and a dark complexion.^[2] He received a $100 bounty for a 3 year commitment. He held the rank of Landman and served aboard the U.S.S. Ohio, U.S.S. Wando, and U.S.S. Vermont. He deserted on November 10, 1865.^[3]

He became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1864, at the U.S. District Court in Boston.^[4]

After the war, he headed west. By 1873, he was a resident of Eureka, California.^[5] He worked as a jeweler and watchmaker and advertised his services frequently in The Humboldt Times, the local Eureka newspaper.^[6] He married Maria Lenewski, a Massachusetts native and resident of San Fransicico, California, in 1876.^[7] They resided in Eureka and, in 1882, removed to Redding, California.

He died in Redding, California, in 1885. He is buried at the Myrtle Grove Memorial Cemetery in Eureka.^[8]

Sources

1. ↑ "Massachusetts Marriages, 1841-1915," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NWRZ-Z6L : 24 May 2018), Frank Anthony Ley and Mary Eliza Tyler, 24 Mar 1858
2. ↑ "United States Naval Enlistment Rendezvous, 1855-1891," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XG36-42R : 15 July 2017), Frank A Ley, Dec 1864
3. ↑ The American Civil War Research Database", accessed 9 January 2021, Frank A. Ley
4. ↑ "United States, New England Petitions for Naturalization Index, 1791-1906," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VXR9-4TD : 30 December 2020), Frank Anthony Ley, 1864
5. ↑ "California Great Registers, 1850-1920," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNFG-SG5 : 25 July 2019), Frank Anthony Ley, 21 Aug 1873
6. ↑ The Humboldt Times, Vol VII, Number 11, 13 January 1877, p. 2
7. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KZ3J-1BX : 8 December 2017), Frank A. Ley and Maria Lenewski, 10 Oct 1876
8. ↑ Find A Grave: Memorial #194633724 Myrtle Grove Memorial Cemetery, Eureka, California